Introduction to South Africa Philately

Collecting the stamps of South Africa is fun for the beginner and advanced collector alike. It has been a popular collecting
area for many years. The Victorian era issues of Pre-Union states are studied
with great passion and form an essential part of any collection of classic issues.
The Union period (1910/61) can be collected as simply
or as complicated as the collector wishes. It is unusual among British
Commonwealth countries with many of its stamps being issued in bilingual pairs. The modern
Republic of South Africa issues (1961 to date) are
full of topical interest, with colourful and vibrant reflections of the country.

South Africa’s philately can be separated into three main sections. First came the Pre-Union, with the four main states of Cape of Good
Hope, Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal. During this period there were two Boer Wars, the end of the second Boer War led to the Transvaal
and Orange Free State coming under British administration.

The four states were combined into The Union of South Africa on 31st
May 1910, a dominion run as an autonomous
community of the British Empire. The first
stamp of this new country was issued on November 4th 1910 to
commemorate the opening of the new Parliament. The first definitive set
was issued on 1st September 1913, known as the “King’s Heads”
as they depict the image of King George V. They are a colourful issue
and make a fine addition to any South Africa stamp collection. The
stamps were in use over a long period, hence they can be found in a
range of different shades from the different printings. Many of these
shades are inexpensive and can add extra interest to your collection.

You may wonder what stamps were used during the period between the start
of the Union and the issue of the first definitive stamps? Known as
“Interprovincials” the stamps of the four different Pre-Union states
could be used across the whole of the Union. Hence we see Natal stamps
used in the Cape, Transvaal used in the Orange Free State and so on.
This fascinating and widely collected period runs from 31st
May 1910 to 31st August 1913. The stamps must be used, with
a readable postmark showing an identifiable village or town name and the
date within the correct period.

In 1926 we see the first bilingual pairs of stamps with the issue of the
˝d Springbok, 1d Sailing Ship and the 6d Orange Tree. Along with the
designs from the 1927 Pictorial definitives, known as the “London
Pictorials,” these basic designs were in use until as late as 1954 when
they were replaced by the Wildlife definitives. A change of watermark
in 1959, then a change to decimal currency followed in February 1961,
before the Union period came to an end. During this time an interesting
range of Postage Due and Official stamps were issued. These can form
separate collections in their own right, or be part of a larger
collection, should you desire. Postage Dues were used to collect an
underpayment or additional postal charge in the mail. They are often
found used on envelopes and can be collected like this. Governmental
departments and the Civil Service used official stamps. Both Postage
Dues and Officials were available to collectors through the main Post
Offices and later the Philatelic Bureau.

On 31st May 1961, exactly fifty years after the inauguration
of the Union, South Africa became an independent country with the
formation of The Republic of South Africa, known as RSA for short. The
recently issued decimal Union definitives were replaced by a set of new,
more modern looking stamps. Like the earlier bilingual pairs, the basic
designs were used for many years and were not replaced with a new
definitive set until 1974. There have been many beautiful designs
issued throughout the Republic period, with much topical interest.
There are plenty of issues for collectors of wildlife, birds, transport
and sport, to name just a few thematics, to choose from.

Another area with lots of stamps to please the thematic collector is the
former Homelands. The Homelands were territories within South Africa
that the native peoples administrated, but were not recognised
internationally as independent countries, however the stamps were
accepted as valid on international mail. Unfortunately the formation of
the four Homelands had their origins rooted in the apartheid policies of
the past. On 27th April 1994 the Homelands were
reincorporated into the Republic of South Africa, the day that Nelson
Mandela became President of South Africa.

While recent South Africa issues have continued to depict many popular
themes, the modern stamps are not just pretty and colourful labels.
There are also many different printings of the definitive issues
available, with plenty to keep the keen philatelist entertained.

So you see, South Africa is a country whose philately can offer
something to almost all types of collector. In turn I hope this website
can offer something to you – HAPPY COLLECTING!